Turkey vs Italy – News and Probable Lineups

After suffering losses in their respective opening fixtures, both Turquia and Itália will look to rebound in League A Group 1 during their UEFA Nations League campaigns on Monday.

Currently trailing behind the early leaders, Bélgica and França, the second of their four consecutive fixtures during this international break is slated to occur in Bursa.

Match overview

Following successful promotions from Europe’s third division, Turquia made their debut at League A level last Friday, facing a revamped França team in Kocaeli.

Les Bleus dominated possession during their first match under Zinedine Zidane, but Turquia defended well until Kylian Mbappe netted his usual goal after nearly an hour.

Turquia managed to apply more pressure, testing Mike Maignan several times in the second half, however, their chances faded when goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir was issued a red card after a VAR review.

This marked Vincenzo Montella’s side’s third defeat out of four matches. They were eliminated in the group stage of this summer’s World Cup, losing to Áustria and Paraguai before securing a victory against the United States.

Looking ahead to Euro 2028, Turquia now finds themselves in a battle to maintain their status in the Nations League’s top division, with Bélgica and Itália also competing for points in Group 1.

As a former striker, Montella scored three goals for the Italian national team in 20 appearances, but his managerial impact in Serie A has been rather limited.

Therefore, he may be eager to showcase his skills when the Azzurri come to visit Turquia, especially as he will be facing off against a former teammate.

Three years following his departure from La Nazionale to Arábia Saudita, Euro 2020 champion Roberto Mancini returned to managerial duties on Friday evening. This change came after a third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup.

Mancini has been entrusted with steering his country towards the upcoming Euros, taking over the reins from Gennaro Gattuso, who was dismissed after the team’s playoff disappointment.

Before Mancini, interim coach Silvio Baldini had called up a youthful squad for two summer friendlies, and Mancini included numerous fresh faces in his 34-man roster this month.

However, this overhaul did not yield immediate results as Itália lost 2-0 to Bélgica in Rome, conceding a goal in each half at Stadio Olimpico.

This defeat marked the first competitive loss for the Azzurri against Belgium since 1972, underlining the challenge ahead for Mancini.

With limited time to regroup, as they are scheduled for three more matches within a week, the onus will be on Mancini to secure a win against Turquia prior to a challenging away game against França four days later.

Team News

Due to his suspension following a red card against França, Cakir will be replaced by Altay Bayindir in goal for Turquia, having played in the final moments of the match in Kocaeli.

Montella is already dealing with the absence of two crucial players, as Italy-based stars Hakan Calhanoglu and Kenan Yildiz are both sidelined due to injuries, while Orkun Kokcu is battling a toe issue.

Merih Demiral, a former Juventus defender, will again lead the Crescent-Stars as captain, with Real Madrid’s Arda Guler taking on the midfield duties.

On the other hand, the visitors will be guided by Gianluigi Donnarumma, who boasts 84 senior caps at only 27 years of age.

Alongside his ex-Sampdoria teammate, Mancini will also face several absences, with Federico Dimarco, Bryan Cristante, and Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli unable to feature due to injuries. However, Alessandro Bastoni is back following a suspension.

Mancini has not called up Mateo Retegui, so Moise Kean and Gianluca Scamacca will compete for starting positions with brothers Sebastiano and Pio Esposito, the latter having scored five goals in 10 international appearances.

There are also a few newcomers, like Cagliari midfielder Alessandro Romano, who opted for the Azzurri over Suíça, and Michael Kayode, who has performed impressively in the Premier League with Brentford.

Turquia probable starting XI:

Cakir; Celik, Demiral, Bardakci; Aydin, Ozcan, Yuksek, Kadioglu; Guler, Akturkoglu; Yilmaz

Itália probable starting XI:

Donnarumma; Kayode, Mancini, Bastoni, Calafiori; Barella, Tonali, Frattesi; Cambiaghi, P. Esposito, Raspadori

While both teams faced defeat in their initial matches, Turquia appeared more cohesive, giving a star-studded França team a run for their money. In contrast, Itália seemed somewhat directionless.

Having made greater strides in their development under Montella compared to Mancini’s restructured Azzurri, the hosts will be aiming for their first victory in League A.